CHINATOWN MARKETS
CHINATOWN, OAHU
The Mauna Kea Marketplace is a more organized version of the Oahu Market just down the street. In both places you’ll find thousand-year-old eggs. These duck eggs have been preserved for a mere hundred days in strong black tea, lime, and ashes. The whites turn a blackish-amber and the yolks a sage green.
There’s more to explore in this lively market. Look an opakapaka (red snapper) right in the eye. Ogle at the tea-smoked ducks dangling from racks. Try to figure out just what those odd vegetables are. Don’t think of leaving without buying something. Try a nice juicy Kaimuki mango or a bag of juicy lychee from local island growers. And if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you could always go back for that thousand-year-old egg.
